Tales and Novels of J. de La Fontaine — Volume 06 eBook

Hisplan to execute, the husband went,
And
ev’ry passenger was thither sent,
Where
Damon entertained, with sumptuous fare;
And,
at the end, proposed the magick snare:
Said
he, my wife played truant to my bed;
Wish
you to know if your’s be e’er misled?
’Tis
right how things go on at home to trace,
And
if upon the cup your lips you place,
In
case your wife be chaste, there’ll naught go
wrong;
But,
if to Vulcan’s troop you should belong,
And
prove an antlered brother, you will spill
The
liquor ev’ry way, in spite of skill.

Toall the men, that Damon could collect,
The
cup he offered, and they tried th’ effect;
But
few escaped, at which they laughed or cried,
As
feelings led, or cuckoldom they spied,
Whose
surly countenance the wags believed,
In
many houses near, might be perceived.

AlreadyDamon had sufficient found,
To
form a regiment and march around;
At
times they threatened governors to hang,
Unless
they would surrender to their gang;
But
few they wanted to complete the force,
And
soon a royal army made of course.
From
day to day their numbers would augment,
Without
the beat of drum, to great extent;
Their
rank was always fixed by length of horn:
Foot
soldiers those, whose branches short were borne;
Dragoons,
lieutenants, captains, some became,
And
even colonels, those of greater fame.
The
portion spilled by each from out the vase
Was
taken for the length, and fixed the place.
A
wight, who in an instant spilled the whole,
Was
made a gen’ral: not commander sole,
For
many followed of the same degree,
And
’twas determined they should equals be.

Therank and file now nearly found complete,
And
full enough an enemy to beat,
Young
Reynold, nephew of famed Charlemain,
By
chance came by: the spark they tried to gain,
And,
after treating him with sumptuous cheer,
At
length the magick cup mas made appear;
But
no way Reynold could be led to drink:
My
wife, cried he, I truly faithful think,
And
that’s enough; the cup can nothing more;
Should
I, who sleep with two eyes, sleep with four?
I
feel at ease, thank heav’n, and have no dread,
Then
why to seek new cares should I be led?
Perhaps,
if I the cup should hold awry,
The
liquor out might on a sudden fly;
I’m
sometimes awkward, and in case the cup